Suzuki Inazuma 250 Review, Test Ride

How can a motorcycle please immensely, and yet be stupid? Read our Suzuki Inazuma to know why I say that

My first ‘real’ liking for Suzuki came when I rode the Shogun many years ago. It was that one motorcycle which liked wearing boots and jeans to a black-tie affair and not be worried about what everyone said. It was the only one in its time to give Yahama’s much-celebrated RX100 and RX-Z a really tough fight.

The Shogun was louder, more focused and much more rewarding than the RX100 – if you knew how to tame it, that is! I’m not much of a go-one-wheel-up-when-I-feel-like guy. I like to ride with my head in the right place and don’t do ‘stunts’ at all. Yet, my first wheelie was on the Shogun. It was an accidental event, so you can imagine what it did to my heartbeat… and vocal chords. But that’s exactly what the charm of the Shogun was – it was an unassuming bike which would hit you with a mallet and you’d not mind that one bit.

That instant love for a motorcycle – that’s missing now. Most of the bikes are designed to please the environmentalists – only them. And the ones giving us supposedly sporty bikes are basically doing commuter engines in flashy, faired bodies. Save for a couple of names, not many mainstream bike makers are really doing unpolluted exciting stuff – things that make genuine enthusiasts smile behind their helmet visors.

The Suzuki Inazuma 250 is a classic example of that. It’s an absolutely lovely bike that’s also quite rubbish. I don’t understand how a manufacturer can do such a product – it must require great skill set! First things first – the Suzuki Inazuma 250 isn’t really going to make those special muscles in your body react excitedly. It actually reminded me of the Yamaha Fazer when I first saw it parked sideways. The headlamp is the same stupidly shaped item. The rear looks a tad too inflated and overall, the Suzuki Inazuma 250 could’ve been more balanced and proportionate in my view.

I understand that the Suzuki Inazuma 250 is a global motorcycle and Suzuki couldn’t have made the bike according to Indian preferences alone, but I also refuse to believe that people living outside India have no aesthetic sense at all. Look at what Kawasaki is doing with its naked bikes (Z250, apples-to-apples) – that’s the thing which gets hearts racing, in case you didn’t know, Suzuki.

Mechanically though, the Suzuki Inazuma 250 is very sorted. The engine is a 248cc twin-cylinder that produces 26bhp and a bit over 24Nm of torque. These numbers may sound good – impressive, even – for regular city commuting, but out on the track, the engine felt a tad disappointing. It should be given more power – 35bhp sounds about right. You can’t question its refinement and quality though – it’s completely vibration free and the gearbox is smooth and progressive. The power spread is linear but the Suzuki Inazuma 250 could do with more poke at higher revs.

But what stands out is the way the Suzuki Inazuma 250 handles – it’s extremely stable and inspires a lot of confidence leaning into the corners. The tyres – 110/80 R17 at the front and 140/70 R17 at the rear –serve their purpose very well. When I took the bike out for a few hot laps during our Suzuki Inazuma, the Sun wasn’t at its friendliest best and the track temperature was on the higher side. Still the tyres maintained the grip really well and the balanced chassis allowed downshifting while leaning into a corner without making the rear get all twitchy. Impressive.

But while the chassis is brilliant, the Suzuki Inazuma 250 is designed to be more a city bike. The seating is very commuter-bike like and I ended up scraping the pegs before my knee slider could feel the tarmac. On a couple of occasions during our Suzuki Inazuma 250, it was quite hairy too! While I really like the Suzuki Inazuma 250 for its refinement and chassis balance, I dislike it for being compromised on the fun quotient. Suzuki could’ve done so much more with the Suzuki Inazuma 250. Sadly, it’s still nothing like the Shogun. And the price is just silly. Going back to the green devil then – Kawasaki, I await you.

Please let us know how you liked the motorcycles or our Suzuki Inazuma 250 by commenting below.